It Might Have Gone A Little Something Like This
by KaleidoscopeKitten
Summary: Drabbles ahoy! Romance, humor, oddities. Hopefully not always what you expect...
1. Believe it or Not

**Disclaimer**: Although the following scenario has stumbled from my demented mind, the characters, alas, have not.

-

-

"Believe it or not…"

-

"Believe it or not," he whispered, peering up at the girl who was crouching expertly over him, "I've got you exactly where I want you."

"Oh?"

She leaned closer, eyes liquid pools in the dim light, letting a curtain of her mahogany hair spill over his forehead and around his face. "How do you…figure?"

She could feel him shift faintly beneath her, felt his arms flex as he tested the grip on his wrists, knew that he was calculating her weight on his abdomen. With a small grin half hidden in the darkness she brought her face even closer to his, until she could make out her shadow-silhouettes in his widening eyes and felt the warmth of his breath on her scarlet lips.

He became abnormally still then, as though any motion on his part might have served to disrupt his analysis of her graceful movements, might have made him miss a vital aspect of her seductive expression. He dared not even breath deeply as her face finally met his, the softness of her cheekbone nuzzling his own. He knew the corners of his mouth were twitching traitorously as he felt the tickle of her long, dark lashes at his temple. He quickly forced his lips into a grim, thin line as her breath filled his ear.

"I'd say, you're at _my_ mercy..."

Secretly, he relished the feminine lilt of her voice, all but arresting in the sheer confidence it possessed: the self-assurance that she currently implemented absolute control over him.

Which was _precisely_ what he wanted her to imagine.

All at once he tugged his arms downwards, whipping them toward his sides and freeing his wrists from her grasp too quickly for any compensative maneuvers on her part. Now he did grin, his delight mounting at the shocked look in her vivid eyes, the smile surely touching his ears as he succeeded in flipping her over with ease.

_She brought it on herself, really_, he thought as he forced her slim wrists to the cool wood of the floor. Even if it was for a second, she had let her guard down in the belief that she had won.

Now it was he who looked down upon her, taking in the frustrated gleam of her gaze. He could feel the fury in her arms as they strained against his grasp. She kicked her legs in a futile attempt at dislodging him from his perch atop her stomach. He might have actually felt sorry for how ineffectual her arrangement was, if he had been so inclined to that sort of thing.

"Want me to let you go now?" he inquired, smirking at the scowl on her pretty face. She made no verbal response, but her expression betrayed her desire beautifully.

Wordlessly her released her, but before she could react accordingly he swiped a sleeve over her face.

"What are you-!"

"I knew it," he whispered, face inches from her own. He made no further attempt at restraining her, but brought a thumb up to trace her jawbone gently. She was confused now, motionless as she regarded the tan boy's exotic sapphire eyes inches from her own.

"You're even more beautiful without your makeup, Suki."

-

-

---------------------------------

_Author's Note_: Yep, I've gone and done it….begun my own attempt at the wonderfulness that is classified as 'drabbles'. After falling in love with these gems of fiction through the inspiring works of many amazing authors on this site, I've given in and chosen to post my own in the hopes that someone will find them vaguely interesting. I've been jotting these down in my notebook for a while now, which has since become riddled with them. From now on I'll post at least one a day (excluding the time when I will not have access to a computer for nine weeks :P) Some are romance, some are humor, and some are just…strange. Hopefully most of them are not quite what you're expecting.


	2. Accusations

**Disclaimer: ** The barn is mine :P

**"Accusations"**

She pulled his arms tighter around her shoulders, enveloping herself in the silent muscular embrace she had grown so accustomed to, and leaned her head back leisurely to rest against the warmth of his neck. She knew without seeing that he was smiling softly as he brought his chin down to rest on top of her head.

Neither of them spoke, the terms of their moonlit rendezvous still standing.

After all, this was by no means the first time that they had found themselves in this rather scandalous position. Forming an immobile shadow-statue, their synchronistic breathing the only give away that they were indeed, alive. Only the faint _hhhshhhhh_ of the hay beneath their reclining forms and the occasional shuffling of a nearby horse pierced the consuming silence.

Katara sighed as she let her eyes slip closed, blocking out the glow of the full moon that hung so high above them, visible through the ancient rafters, basking the intertwined teens with soothing strands of her ethereal hair.

_Who knew such a thing was possible?_

She couldn't even recall how this had all begun. Couldn't quite remember when she had looked upon the boy who lounged behind her with more than detached rivalry for the very first time. Couldn't pinpoint the moment she had first lost herself in the overpowering toxicity of his grasp. But something told her it wasn't so long ago. _If only it didn't have to end..._

_If only he hadn't found out..._

Katara could still see the look of utter shock that had consumed his face the night he stumbled upon them.

The night he had come to witness her nightly tryst with the hot-headed, banished prince: her sworn enemy, first hand. The disappointment that had clouded those large, piercing eyes, until the faint traces of resentment had become vivid, darkening his expression to the point of shaming her. She had been no less than mortified at having been caught in such a compromising, forbidden position.

But somehow, as the moon rose full in its luminescent splendor to perform its nightly pirouette against the pin-point star-webbing stage, she found herself once more betraying him, a slave to her own lust. Somehow her teenaged female heart murmurs always kicked into full gear, leaving her no choice but to once more sneak out in the darkness, to fall heart over heels into his outstretched arms, craving the solace that lingered in the firebender's embrace.

And she knew that the boy who was currently stroking her arm with his slim, pale fingers as she in turn ran a hand through the ragged tangles of his short dark hair, must have been feeling something a little similar in regards to her. The sound of his contented sigh spilled into her ears, a soft verbal verification of just how perfect the treasonous act felt.

She felt his head slipping to the side as he fell into another blissful slumber, the weight of the beautiful girl against his chest the pleasant grounds for this no longer alien gesture. With a smile she brought his hand to her lips for a moment before settling back into the security and warmth the boy had come to provide so well.

_She could stay like this forever..._

An abrupt sound to the left startled them both, sending them suddenly on edge. Katara felt herself yanked to her feet as the large barn door swung open and Zuko quickly thrust her behind him as he peered at the dark silhouette in the doorway. They winced visibly beneath his intense stare, backing away slowly in their apparent numbed indignity.

Katara couldn't help but wish that instantaneous invisibility had been a universal human endowment. She wrapped her arms across her chest and bowed her head in shame beneath the accusation of his glower, stepping sideways into further obscurity from view behind Zuko's back.

The two teens appeared to be immobilized without remedy in the uneasy realization that _he_ had come to burst in on them for the second time that month.

The figure took an angry step into the barn and lifted an accusing finger to point at them.

"How many times do I have to tell you kids to stay outta my barn!"

----------------------------

-

Heheh, you thought it was _Aang_ who barged in on them, huh?


	3. There's No Time

**Disclaimer: **Of course I'd own this all if I could. But I don't. Which is probably a good thing...

-

-

-

**"There's No Time"**

-

_"Just go, Sokka! Hurry."_

_She whipped an arm out to her left, sending the liquid stream snapping at her opponent's face. He crumpled to the ground, cradling his jaw as he felt around blindly in the darkness for his knife. Another, larger man quickly stepped up to take the place of his fallen comrade._

_Sokka hesitated at the sight of the large brute advancing on his sister, his dark form towering over her lithe, blue-clad figure. She looked up at him with ferocity in her eyes, not an ounce of fear evident in her cool regard of him as he lifted an arm menacingly above her. He grinned down at her as he swung his broadsword in an arc over her head._

_She didn't even duck. _

_Didn't need to, as the man was lifted all at once, by some unseen force, teetering idiotically in mid air before he was launched into a nearby tree. He connected with the scratchy surface of the trunk's bark with a thud muted by the extent of his girth. With a grunt he collapsed to the ground._

_And a young boy appeared suddenly, landing softly beside the man's original target._

"_Nice one, Aang."_

"_Thanks Katara." The airbender shot a quick glance over his shoulder as he moved to stand back-to-back with the girl. "Better get going, Sokka. We'll hold them off."_

_------_

His striking blue eyes narrowed as he turned a sharp corner that led into yet another scarecly lit, constricted, metallic hallway. It looked to yield absolutely no difference from the previous one, or the one before that. And, also like the others, it appeared to lead nowhere in particular. He halted, using the wall as support while he caught his breath.

_How many of these damn things were there?_

_He was running out of time!_

Gritting his teeth in frustration, he straightened up and looked forward, studying the outline of each doorframe, eyeing the individual bolts that lined each structure as though they could provide some sort of clue as to which of them was the right one.

_If any of them were._

_How could he have known there was going to be so many of them?_

_And how was he supposed to single out the one that he needed to locate? The one he needed to find right now so he could do what his instincts were screaming and get the hell out of there?_

Suddenly the shrill, resounding squeak of a heavy door unlocking could be heard above the pounding of a rapid heartbeat in his ears.

He practically flew in the direction of the sound, bolting back down the hallway in the direction he had come, sprinting up a flight of steep metal steps. He paused at the top, whipping his head from one direction to the other.

_Where had the sound come from?_

_Which way?_

_No, no, this can't be happening... There's no time! Why am I even doing this! I should get out of here! Need to get out of her! I-_

"Uncle?"

Sokka's head snapped to the right, locking in on the inquiry that abruptly penetrated his ears, shattering the silence, and sending him sprawling back into reality. Remembering his purpose, he scurried in the direction of the familiar voice.

"Uncle, is that you?"

He rounded the corner at an alarming speed, bowling over the boy who turned just in time to open his mouth in surprise as he was slammed to the chilly corridor floor.

Sokka raised himself to his elbows, breath coming out in ragged gasps as he regarded the face inches below his in the darkness. It wasn't a happy face, and neither was it one he'd have wished to come across on any occasion. But this was hardly the _usual _circumstances.

--------------------------

"_This is why we're doing this," the tall man jeered, in response to the girl's accusation. He held up a gold piece for them to see, tossing it into the air, then catching it nimbly between two fingers when it came back down. _

"_You're a sorry excuse for a man!"_

"_Don't you realize how important the Avatar is? Don't you understand that he's the only one who can end this war?"_

"_What do I care of your war?" The pirate captain asked, tucking the currency back into his pocket and patting the bulge. _

"_You're really going to sell the Avatar to the Fire Nation? Betray the whole world for a bag of gold!"_

"_I assure you the sum is much larger than that, boy. And money is money, no matter who it comes from."_

"_And who exactly is it that agreed to paid you?"_

"_Zhao was his name, I think. The same man who paid me to blow up the ship of a certain troublesome, banished prince while he slept." _

_He grinned maliciously at the look of horror that crossed his prisoner's faces. _

_"Actually, my men should be just about finishing up that job as we speak," he continued, oblivious to the lemur that was silently knowing at the bonds which bound the young trio to the tree._

_--------------------_

"You!" There was definite malice in the amber flash of the firebender's eyes as he regarded the water tribe warrior who had just collided with him. "What are you doing on my ship! How dare you-"

"Shut up!" The tanned boy sprung to his feet, yanking the other teen up to a similar position, and maintaining his grip on a very confused, very furious Zuko, raced down the silver passageway. The dimly lit torches lining their way blurred into flaming streaks as they passed.

"We have to get out of here! There's no time!"

He felt his heart stop as the first blast of the explosion sounded deep within the ship's interior, sending the ship quaking beneath their feet, tremors throwing them off balance.


	4. Someone Else's Son

**Disclaimer: **:giggles: This is just a peek at the oddities that would ensue if I owned this awesome series...**  
**

**Someone Else's Son**

-

-

The golden eyes narrowed dangerously as their owner regarded his captors in defiance, no longer struggling against his chains but still breathing roughly from the effort.

"Release me," he demanded through clenched teeth, obviously furious at having to play the role of hostage. Even dressed as he was, in the simple tunic and trousers of a peasant, face filthy and wane from days of hard travel, bound and kneeling in chains at their feet, he retained the pride of who he was. Of who he was born, brought up and wanted with his very being to be.

"The prince of the Fire Nation, sir. Identified by one of the townspeople, a man who recognized him from a town a few miles south of here." The middle-aged soldier spouted the information proudly to his commander, lifting his gaze from their captive to cast a sidelong glance at the tall man standing beside him.

"I see. And what was he doing there?"

"The old man or the prisoner, sir?"

"The boy."

"Drawing water from the well, sir. He was accused of stealing an ostrich-horse by one of the locals, which he declared to be a lie. I'm sure you heard what follows from your tent, sir," the man grinned slyly in remembrance of the commotion. "It took three of us to separate them, and another four to contain him. Looks like those chains came in handy after all…"

"Thank you, Huntek. I have a few questions to ask him, now."

Huntek bobbed in a quick bow and left, the entrance skin of the large traveling tent flapping in his wake. With a sigh the tall man returned his attention to the seething boy at his feet, the blue and white tones of his embroidered warrior's parka clashing greatly with the brown toned hues of his surroundings. With cobalt eyes that stood out against the tan of his handsome face he simply looked at his captive for a few moments, giving him a scrutinizing once over in silence.

_Could this really be him? The proud, determined Prince Zuko who Bato had spoken of? The hot-tempered boy who had been hounding the Avatar and his companions for months on end, without remorse or relent? _

_The very same firebending teen that two valiant children had referenced in their exuberant confessions of mishaps and adventures, revealed to a dear friend of his, not too long ago?_

He had been beside himself as that dear friend spoke of these children:

Two young water-tribe natives, brother and sister, from the South Pole. The brave duo that had sworn to protect and accompany the last airbender in his quest to master the elements and save the world. The two teenaged kids who were out there somewhere, so far from the safety of their birthplace, standing up for what they believed in, placing themselves where their hearts demanded they stand.

His children.

It had been over two years since he saw them last, since he held them in his arms and whispered the universal goodbye promises of every father to his beloved offspring.

How he wished that the war was over. That he was back home, reclining on the soft pelts of the floor, chuckling over the stories he told to his children who sat smiling on either side. How he wished he could just see them again. And know that they were safe, the proof being that they were all but smothered in his arms. _Yes, if only some way of making that happen, of ending the war…_

_Then again, maybe he did._

He suddenly remembered the boy, bound and silent before him. If nothing else, the fire in his eyes was a dead giveaway as to his nationality, to where his loyalties lay. As unkempt and maltreated as the boy looked, there was no questioning his identity. No denying that he was a son of the fire nation, no, more than that: a son of the fire lord himself. The child of his most notorious, most ruthless enemy.

_And he was at his mercy._

Pensively, the tall man mulled over the questions that were racing through his mind as he regarded his prisoner. _Why are you here? Why are you traveling alone? Where are your forces? What is your father's next move?_

These were the things he should have been asking. That he needed to note and report. That he was surely required to find out, no matter the measures he was obliged to take to get them. Regardless of whether or not he was forced to beat the information out of his captive.

This was war after all.

And cruelty was sometimes the only option.

But he had never been a cruel man. And looking down at the dirty, disheveled boy who wore the scowl of someone so much older than he could possibly have been, the kind man sighed once more. He knew that no matter what background or lineage the kid possessed, he did not have it in him to do much more than watch him in puzzlement, lost in a sea of thought.

He was so young, first of all. Couldn't have been more than a year or two older than Sokka. And he'd be darned if the expression on his thin, pale face wasn't the splitting image of the one which had been known to adorn his own son's every now and again. That stubborn, determined, calculating look that always took him by surprise when worn by one so young. He felt himself smiling faintly as an image of his own son swam once again before his eyes.

All too quickly it vanished, however, leaving him feeling empty, staring once more at his prisoner, the prince of the fire nation, someone else's son.

But a son, nonetheless.

He linked his hands behind his back, cocking his head to one side in observation as he spoke.

"Did you steal the ostrich horse?"

"Yes," the boy said flatly.

_At least he wasn't one to mince words…_

"From that man in the town square?"

"No."

"I thought so," he smiled, having already assumed as much. The short haired boy regarded him strangely, his face caught somewhere between a glower and curiosity.

"I have heard…rumors of you. And I can't say all of them have been pleasant, Prince Zuko."

"You must have quite the opinion of me, then."

The tall man was taken slightly aback at the boy's tone. He had spoken matter-of-factly, his words holding no accusations, just acknowledgment. As though he didn't think it of any value to defend himself, didn't bother to deny any charges that were set against him by the gossip of others.

"Why are you here?"

"I thought you heard about me."

"I did. From those who have, in turn, heard about you or, in rare cases, actually met you."

"Then surely you have heard why I am traveling."

"I was under the impression that you had at least one companion in banishment…"

"….." The boy allowed his gaze to fall to the dirt beneath his knees, trying to hide the glaze that had come to film his vision. "I have nothing to benefit from his company, now."

"I see."

Zuko looked up to eye the man interrogating him strangely. He had expected the tall figure, surely one of his nation's enemies, to laugh at his feeble words. Or at least _hhmmph_ in condescension of his powerless position.

But there was no disdain in the man's gaze, no arrogance in his posture. He merely looked baffled. And…_sad_?

That brought the scowl back to the teen's face, anger filling up his chest once more. He reviled the man suddenly, disgusted by his pity. He hated pity, despised anyone who had the _nerve_ to feel sorry for him. He strained against the chains at his wrists and ankles and glared up at the man.

"Get on with it!"

"With what?" the man asked, surprised.

"Ask me the rest of your stupid questions, and get on with whatever you plan on doing with me. Even being beheaded by your filthy peasant hands is better than sitting here, watching you pretend to understand anything." He lowered his voice, smoothing it into a flat, cryptic tone. "You don't know me. Don't even begin to assume that you do."

"Know you?" The tall man chuckled faintly, ignoring the malice in the boy's amber eyes. He brought a hand up to stroke his chin in thought. "It is true, boy, that I have no personal account of you or your past on which to base an honest assumption of who you are. But that look," he leaned down so that his face was inches from that of his prisoner," is the very same one my son has given me so many times over the years. Usually when I tell him that he is wrong about something."

----------------------------------

Whew! That one was pretty long for a drabble...

...And yet, I don't feel I'm quite finished with this one. I might continue it in a future drabble. What do you think?


	5. This Isn't Bad

**Disclaimer: **Hehhehe, there's no way I own this...

**"This Isn't Bad..."**

-

-

"You've got some nerve-"

"Where I come from it's called honesty…"

She sent him a furious glare, trembling with soundless fury, hands balling into fists at her side, sapphire eyes practically sparking in her regard of him. The air had grown unnaturally silent all of a sudden; the mounting tension all but crackling between the two teens.

Zuko had no doubt that had she been a firebender, there would've been an impressive sum of smoke pouring out from between her pursed lips. But she didn't say anything further, in response to his crude retort. She was waiting, now. Daring him to speak again, testing his audacity to utter one more word and give her reason to release a torrent of fury from the canteen at her hip. Or maybe even the boiling contents of the large pot that lounged over the fire.

But he merely raised an eyebrow in response, staring her down with returned fervor, savoring her expression. It was so rare for him to get this much of reaction out of the waterbender, as their interactions were often limited to forced, but otherwise polite inquiries and suggestions, or the more favored blatant disregard.

She seemed to sense this abruptly, recognizing the thrill that lingered in his amber gaze, realizing that he was purposely _playing_ with her. Goading her into this reaction, which obviously brought him some sort of demented satisfaction.

"Rrrrr, you-!"

Katara plucked the large wooden spoon from where it lay beside the fire and hurled it at him. It hit him square in the chest with a dull thump, leaving a sodden trail on the front of his shirt as it slid down to his lap. She watched as he glanced down at it for a second before lifting his head once again to fix her with a scowl, the smug look finally giving way into anger. It made her feel instantly better, although she was still more than a little ticked off. She jabbed a finger in his face, a hand at her hip. "Since I'm so bad at it, YOU do it, then!"

And with that, she stomped off, leaving him to frown as he picked up the spoon and eyed it with uncertainty.

The three onlookers who had been backing away during the whole fiasco now paused in consideration, uncertain as to what to do. The sullen firebender was still sitting there, turning the cooking utensil over in his hands, perhaps still stunned from the outcome of the argument. The girl's footsteps grew quieter in the distance, until they were consumed by the surrounding foliage all together.

Hesitantly, Aang, Sokka and Iroh approached the campfire once more, returning silently to their original positions. An unspoken something told them the previous events did not bode well for their stomachs.

Zuko ignored them, grasping the spoon awkwardly as he approached the large pot that normally contained their dinner by about now. But at the moment, it held nothing more than plain water which bubbled profusely as it came to a rolling boil.

_Stupid peasant!_

He glared down at the array of ingredients that were positioned beside the pot, ready to be added in the hopes of morphing the liquid into something remotely consumable.

Pretending he didn't notice the three pairs of eyes that bore into his back, watching each and every movement of the seething short haired boy as he tossed random items haphazardly into the pot, Zuko grumbled in annoyance to himself.

_He had been perfectly justified in his opinion of her cooking. He just happened to be the only one gutsy enough to say anything._

After tossing everything that he gambled would taste vaguely ok when cooked together, he began stirring the whole thing, unsure if it served any real purpose, but trying to make it look like he had at least a faint idea as to what he was doing.

About twenty minutes later the concoction was simmering nicely, the flames having been lowered in intensity under the morose gaze of a certain disgusted and annoyed banished prince. The smell of the thing wasn't particularly unpleasant, the steam wafting in small tendrils to his nose.

Having no earthly idea, but guessing the stew was done or pretty close to it, he doused the flames entirely just as his stomach began to growl. He stood and walked over to snag a bowl from the pile beside Sokka. Catching the water-tribe warrior's fearful gaze at the lumpy mixture within the pot, Zuko snorted.

"I didn't see you hopping up to do it!" he snarled. He scooped some of the mixture roughly into the bowl in his hands and sat down angrily on a nearby stump. Pausing to regard the contents in his hands for a brief moment, and purposely failing to heed the forewarning looks of his companions, he raised the bowl to his lips and drank.

He sloshed it thoughtfully around his mouth for a minute, testing the unusual flavor against his tongue before swallowing.

This was observed from a few feet away, Iroh, Aang and Sokka trying to discern if he was going to keel over or not. But after a few minutes, and the firebending teen's only odd gesture was a shrug as he brought the bowl to his lips once more, they gave in to the chiding of their own stomachs and filled their bowls with the chunky, odd-colored blend.

All three of them tasted it in silence, testing it with the tip of their tongues first, before finally giving in to their hunger and gobbling it down in noisy swigs.

"Hey, this isn't bad! As much as I hate to admit it, it sure beats anything Ka-" Sokka wisely cut himself off as his sister strode into the camp, stopping a few feet behind Zuko. She fixed them all with an insufferable stare at the discovery that not only were they all eating the food of the banished teen, but they seemed to find it aggreeable as well. Much more enjoyable then anything she had made for them.

Zuko didn't bother trying to hide the large grin on his face behind his bowl as he ate.


	6. Kiss you, Kiss Me

**Author's Note: **First off: I'm so sorry! I had no idea that you could choose whether or not to accept annonymous reviews.I had no idea I had mine turned to "Disabled", either...

:smiles apologetically:

On a completely different note...

This drabble is kind of a sequel to my one shot "Improvise". If that's theoretically possible...What's strange is that I actually wrote this before I wrote that, although I did have the events of "Improvise" already formed in my mind. So I hope it connects ok. And I hope you like it.

That said: Onward!

**Disclaimer: ** Don't look at me

:points at the people from Nickelodeon:

It's them! They own it!

-

-

**Kiss you, kiss me**

**-**

Katara smiled secretly to herself, bringing a hand up to absently brush a stray lock of russet hair from her face.

The blanket of damp leaves crunched faintly beneath her feet, the victims of the prior abrupt rainstorm settling further into the soggy soil. All around her the normal sounds of the woods chimed in her ears, the beauty of the sodden foliage, the vivid green of washed ferns and clinging rain droplets glistening on every surface only seemed to lift her spirits more. She inhaled deeply, savoring the deliciously earthy smells with each intake of breath. A soothing breeze lingered in the air, bringing remnants of the storm's taste to her lips, tugging at her clothes and making the fine hairs at the base of her neck tickle.

She ignored the loose strands that cascaded down her back altogether. Her hair would have to be taken out and re-plaited later, perhaps when she had a larger amount of attention to dedicate to the process. It would have been no more than a dismal and likely disastrous attempt if she did it now. She was slightly…_distracted_ at the moment.

She lifted a slender hand to her face as she walked, running smooth fingertips over her softly parted lips in reminiscence. She could still see the citrine of his widening eyes as he stared down at her in shock, could still feel the heat of his pale, wane face beneath her hands. She could still taste his lips on hers, frozen at first, but then quickly melting into response of the softness of her own.

It had only lasted for a few moments.

No, less than that, really.

But in memory it went on for far longer than it would have ever dared in real life. It lasted for as long as she thought of it. _As long as she wanted…_

With a soft snap she slapped herself, all at once realizing what she was doing, suddenly conscious of what she was thinking.

Of _whom_ she was thinking.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ She chided mentally, viciously trying to rub off the blush that lingered on her cheeks. _That wasn't just some handsome, innocent farm-boy back there! Quite the opposite, rather…_ That had been her _enemy'_s arms wrapped around her, had been _his_ frightening eyes regarding her and his ruthless face in her hands…his vile lips pressed against her own.

_And she had done it. All of it._ The blame fell on her alone, as it had been no one's idea save her own. She couldn't justly blame any of it, as much as she wanted to, on him. No, nothing at all could fall shamefully on that frustrating, hot-headed, hateful boy.

_Zuko._

"I hate you," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes and covering her ears in a meager attempt at blocking out the sounds and images that rambled in her mind, danced before her vision. _It was true. Wasn't it? Of course it was_. She reviled him_. As she should. _She couldn't honestly expect to feel anything else towards him_. Could she?_

She opened her eyes and could still see him in front of her, once more standing there, dripping and surprised. _Why couldn't she get him out of her head!_

"I hate you!" She screamed. She thrust her arms out in front of her, swiping wildly at the spiteful apparition in front of her. She wanted it to go away, wanted to stop seeing him in front of her. Hated that she was allowing him to torment her by making her imagine his presence!

But she wasn't.

Katara froze, a wave of terror washing over her as her hands were snagged mid-air, inches before they would have come in contact with their target. She felt the warmth of slender fingers slipping over her own, encasing her small hands in larger, paler ones.

She could feel her breath catch in her throat as she brought her large sapphire eyes slowly up to meet the intense amber gaze that was by no means a mere figment of her imagination. Despite herself, she could feel the first tremors of dread working at weakening her knees while stubbornly rooting her to the spot.

"Z…Zuko…" Her mouth opened and closed uselessly and she stood gaping idiotically beneath his stare, unsure of what to do, uncertain of his motives. _How had he caught up with her? Why hadn't she heard him approaching?_

_Well, those were easily answered…_

_She had been in lala land for the past twenty minutes._

_But what was he going to do with her?_

_Why…Why wasn't he attacking? Why…_

Suddenly it dawned on her that he was toying with her. Messing with her head, as she had most definitely done to him. He was getting a _kick_ out of standing there, watching her squirm.

_How dare he! How dare he play with her like this! He was the bad guy, he deserved that kind of thing….But for him to turn it back on her_…

"You-" she began, but was cut off by the sudden covering of her mouth. She gasped, a muffled sound, her breath lost as his lips pressed tighter against hers, his breath mingling raggedly with hers. He released her hands after a few seconds, surrendering his grip on them in return for cupping her face in his palms.

She waited for him to stop, to pull away and grab her once more, a smirk plastered to his face. She waited for him to look down at her in superiority and laugh at her feebleness, the whole thing having been a cruel joke in response to her former treasonous deed. A malicious trick to stun her, as she had him, so he could take advantage of her weakness and use her in some evil scheme to capture Aang.

_This wasn't real._

_He was screwing with her. Mocking her!_

_Wasn't he?_

She felt his hands slip from her face to slide caressingly down her back, one arm snaking around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She felt his hands fumbling with her braid, stroking the chocolate waves that slipped free of her hair tie.

And to her surprise she found her own arms moving in response.

Her fingers traced a path up his backbone all the way to his neck. She ran a hand over his head, ruffling the raindrops from his hair, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling his body to press roughly against her own. She could feel the corners of his lips curling into a smile as she began returning his kisses with equal vigor.

_Maybe he wasn't playing with her…_

_Maybe he was…_

_Right now, she couldn't say she cared._


	7. I Win

**Disclaimer:** Isn't and will never be mine...

-

**"I Win"**

**-**

"Okay, now I know you've finally given into your immense stupidity. That, or you've just snapped altogether…"

She cocked an eyebrow, regarding him with a quizzical look from where she stood, waist deep in the water, the setting sun casting a tangerine radiance to her skin. Bringing her slender arms to cross gracefully in front of her, her legs slipping into a defensive stance, she readied herself for any attack he might supply.

Any attack he was bold enough to _try_, that is…

The lukewarm water hugged her submerged lower half, encasing her legs in a living, flowing safeguard. The liquid was one with her, supporting her, reinforcing her. There was no blow that could touch her,the limitless possibilities of offensive and defensive maneuvers pooling at her abdomen, tingling against her calves.

She couldn't help but smirk at her opponent.

He stood facing her, a few feet away and, like her, obscured by the indigo hued lake water from the waist down. He too, raised his arms in a combative posture, taking a sly step closer. The sun's heated gaze was focused on him as well, forming a blazing outline around hislithe form, the normally raven hair spilling from his high ponytail dyed a sinister auburn, just as his simple attire of gray shades was faded into a shadowed monotony. It was becoming difficult to read his expression, the sun's position directly behind him making it nearly ambiguous.

But she knew he was smirking back at her.

Not that she expected anything else.

She deffinitely knew the extent of his arrogance by now. Yes, it just about went without saying she had that little concept down to a "T".

_Although did she find herself questioning his sanity at that particular moment..._

Regardless, she acknowledged how devious he could be in his actions. Just as she realized how certain he must have been of himself right then, how assured he was in his belief that he could best her, no matter the situation.

Hence the position they now found themselves in.

He had challenged her, plain and simple.

She got to pick the place, the time, even the rules. And he got to proceed with his since delayed objective.

A re-match.

Well, of course he hadn't forgotten their little skirmish at the North Pole. It wasn't as though she was likely to forget any time soon, either. She had beaten him, after all. The mighty, all-powerful and proud Prince of the Fire Nation. And she had done it fair and square.

Twice.

And now he wanted reprisal. No, more than that…revenge.

Katara scowled, growing anxious in the waiting.

_What was he up to?_

He had boasted some unmatchable technique, an un-counter able attack that would leave her utterly helpless, leaving her no option but to stand there regarding him with total astonishment. And the fact that she had chosen the middle of the lake as their battleground would make no difference whatsoever.

_Well, he was certainly in for a surprise!_

She was about to show him precisely what a master waterbender could do. No mercy, no playing nice. She wanted to take him out with nothing less than absolute defeat, an unquestionable display that he was no longer a match for her, and never would be again.

"What are you waiting for, Zuko?" Her voice was firm and steady.

"Just giving you a chance to collect yourself. I don't want you to call a time out on some pathetic basis at any time during this."

"You-! I'm more than ready, Zuko. And if any one begs mercy during any of this, you can assure yourself that it will be none other than you."

"Whatever you say…"

And then he charged her. His movements scattered the glowing folds of the water, the flames from his palms leaving trails of steam in his wake. If he was in any way unsure of himself, he was an absolute expert at hiding it. The wicked grin that adorned his pale face reached practically from one ear to the other, matching the malicious glint in his blazing eyes. Within seconds he had closed the distance between them.

And Katara was waiting, a determined expression on her well-balanced features. _Was he really that stupid? If he was, she might actually be inclined to feel sorry for him._ With ease she flung her arms outwards, splitting the lake itself, liquid talons raising on either side of them, poised to strike. She let her lips slip into a smile of her own as she watched him halt suddenly, only inches from her.

"Surprised?" She asked him, batting her eyelashes tauntingly. She relished the amazement on his face, beaming as hesurely realized he had severely underestimated her. She almost felt sorry for him. _Almost._

The flames died in his hands, and he relinquished his astonished gaze at the towering water to regard her. But to her surprise, he retained his infuriating grin, and merely placed his hands on his hips.

"Pleasantly," he leered. "This is about to get really interesting…"

She let out a growl of fury at his cockiness, whipping her arms towards her feet at once, bringing the liquid walls crashing down on him.

But not before he flung his hands out, fast enough to ensnare her in his arms.

Knocked backwards, and stunned temporarily, she lost control of the water, unable to bend it clear of herself any longer. They were both rapidly submerged beneath the fury of a torrent of sheer liquid wrath. The blow of the water crashing down upon their backs, sending them sprawling into the lakebed with stunning force, was enough to leave them both breathless and choking.

They surfaced together, hacking the lake water from their lungs, dazed and feeble in their treading of the still settling water. Katara grimaced at the sting of water up her nose, cringing at the leaden response of her limbs as she strained to remain afloat. She could feel her strength ebbing, spitting out the water that kept filling her mouth as she began to sink again.

_This was pathetic! She was a waterbender…she couldn't drown!_

The water filling her throat told her otherwise.

Flustered, she spit it out once more, and made to bring her arms out in front of her, in hopes of propelling herself back to the shore as she had done once before with Aang in tow.

It proved a little more difficult than she anticipated.

_Why couldn't she move her arms right?_

Then she realized that Zuko was still clinging to her, his weight aiding in pulling her under as she struggled against it. "Let go of me!" She screamed, as loud as her stinging throat would allow. _Stupid, idiotic, irritating firebending…_

There was no response.

"Zuko?"

Not even a sputter of water.

"Zuko!"

Nothing.

She choked on more water as she gasped.

_What had she done!_

With all the strength she could muster, she forced her arms in front of her, fighting against the restriction of his arms around her. They streaked towards the shore and came upon the sandy bank roughly, their backs slamming into the gritty ground.

Katara raised herself to her elbows, ignoring the screaming pain that shot across her shoulders instantly. She jerked herself free of the immobile firebender's arms, regarding his pale face with dread. She placed a hand on his chest, tracing her fingers up to his throat and lifting them, drawing the water from his lungs. There was a surprisingly small amount, but some did come out.

She waited silently for a reassuring cough, a renewed rise and fall of his chest, listening for his breath.

There was none.

_Oh gods, what had she done?_

"Zuko!" She grabbed his face with her hands, shaking his head.

"Wake up! Open your eyes!"

She let his head fall back to the sand and slapped his cheek. "Breathe! Zuko! Do you hear me? You better start breathing right now you jerk! Right now! You stubborn, arrogant, hot-headed son of a-"

She was cut off abruptly as her head was jerked downward roughly, her mouth suddenly, somewhat suspiciously, pressed firmly against that of the previously dead boy. She felt her arms giving out all at once, rendered useless as she collapsed upon him in absolute shock.

His hands ran over the back of her head for a moment, fingers gently raking through her sodden hair, before slipping down the back of her neck to grasp her shoulders. He pressed back on them lightly, lifting her face from his and opening his eyes.

She could do nothing more than gape down at him.

He smirked coyly and reached up to run a finger over her lips, tracing her jaw all the way up to her ear, and tucking the loose strands of her mahogany hair behind it.

"I win."


	8. Give Back What You Get

**Disclaimer: **This awesome show did not find it's creation in the mind of the deranged girl writing this...

**Give Back What You Get**

**-**

He hadn't really put any thought into it.

Hadn't had _time_ to, actually.

He just did it on a whim, reacting out of instinct, reaching out and grabbing one of the boy's flailing arms as he passed. Without so much as a second thought, or even sparing a glance as he did so, he simply yanked on the pin-wheeling limb, halting the teetering of it's owner on the edge of the high wall, and preventing him from plummeting to the ground far below.

It all happened in once smooth motion, the quick yet effective steadying of the water-tribe warrior done with a simple outreach of his left arm, not even breaking his stride.

He didn't even blink.

And for anyone who might have been watching it might have appeared as though, to him, it was nothing more than a troublesome, irrelevant commonplace occurrence.

He proceeded in his advancing gait, honing in on the procession of a certain orange and yellow clad child with narrowed eyes. He followed the flamboyant procession, the bald kid vaulting sporadically from one end of his visual spectrum to the other, nimbly evading the frequent bursts of flames issued in his hyperactive direction.

Once he found himself within sprinting distance, the firebending teen did just that, closing the last few yards between himself and the airbender, adding his own flaming assault to the commotion. "Avatar!" he bellowed, punching a blazing arc at the spot where the kid stood. It was easily dodged, and he found himself flung bodily into a nearby pillar as a violent gust of wind bowled him over. He shook his head in an attempt to expel the temporary haze of disorientation, pushing himself quickly to his knees and glowering at his frustratingly air-borne target. "You won't escape!"

Sokka had watched as Zuko continued forward angrily, not even bothering to look down at the blue-eyed boy he had just saved, completely aloof to whoever's arm he had just released. The firebender hadn't even bothered to say anything at any point during the whole process, which really lasted no more than a few seconds, but somehow seemed so much longer due to the simple, stunning essence of the gesture.

The tan teenager ran a slim hand over the top of his head in confusion, following the erratic movements of the hot-tempered firebender in his pursuit of the tattooed monk further down the wall.

Cocking an eyebrow, the water tribe warrior looked from side to side, searching candidly for anyone who might have witnessed the whole scenario. Finding no one, at least no one who looked like they were privy to the unoccupied opportunity of having seen anything other than the face of their present combatant, Sokka chewed his lower lip in thought.

_Well, if no one saw, then it didn't necessarily happen, did it?_

At least, that's what he decided to tell himself as he stood up and sprung into the flurry of firebenders clustered around Aang. He flung an arm out, sending his boomerang whirring into the crowd, rebounding off a few of the crimson helmets with a clang before spinning back into his waiting hand.

He detected a sudden opening in the human barrier, and rushed forward, elbowing a man out of his way and snagging the outsretched arm of his sister, jerking her away from her current opponent. She looked about toholler something, but realizing it was her brother who was dragging her through the throng of firebenders, she proceeded to clamp her mouth shut and propel her legs forward of their own accord.

At the end of the wall they could see Aang and Zuko's hostile dance, a decent amount of space accorded to their private combat. They dodged and assaulted one another in uncongenial turns, a dangerous match of durability and will, senses closed to everything but their personal vendetta.

"Aang!" Katara called out, a hand cupped at her mouth. "Get ready to jump onto Appa!"

Hearing this, Sokka looked and could indeed make out the large, wooly form of the amiable bison hovering just beyond the wall's crumbling edge. A tiny slip and they could easily have plummeted to a premature and rather gruesome death.

It was kind of the best option they had at the moment, however.

Eager and compliant as usual, Aang took the opportunity to sweep Zuko's feet out from under him, causing him to collapse on the wall's stony surface with an audible _oomph! _With a large grin, the airbender came gliding down playfully on the firebender's prone back, using it as leverage to bound off the wall and onto thelarge headof the waiting bison.

Sokka and Katara came running up behind as the firebender rose furiously to his hands and knees, hot flames curling from between his fingers. He sprang to his feet, readying an attack aimed at the avatar, raising his arm as the two water-tribe siblings came bounding past. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed them approaching and Sokka was presented with a prime opportunity to bring the blunt end of his weapon down, rapping it against the firebender's head as he sprang onto Appa's shaggy flank.

The blow had been a dizzying one, meant to knock out or at least disorient the armor-clad boy, and it did serve to render him temporarily defenseless as he let his offensive stance drop to clasp a hand to his head, the other one placed on the ground to steady himself.

With a look of absolute wrath, Zuko raised his eyes to regard the male warrior from the South Pole, the galling peasant who dared to assault his head with the uncivilized weapon.

Although, perhaps not quite as hard as he could have.


	9. Take Care of My Nephew

**Disclaimer: **I'm too evil to these characters to own them...

-

-

**Take Care Of My Nephew**

-

"Poor Aang."

The southern water tribe girl let her sapphire gaze pan over the shuddering form of her unconcious friend, clasping her hands around her knees in heightened concern.

The young boy's large grey eyes were presently closed, the dark brown of his eyelashes fluttering faintly against the disturbing pale of his cheeks. Beneath the somewhat translucent eyelids, his eyes could be seen rolling around in their sockets, presumably in response to the current delirium his slumber induced.

She had no idea what it was that he was presently imagining, although she could pretty much gather that it wasn't anything pleasant. His brow was furrowed as though in disturbing thought, the beads of sweat that had formed there as a result of his high fever left trails as they slipped down his temple.

"Oh, Sokka…hurry."

She let her head fall down gently to rest on his slim chest in a motherly fashion, closing her eyes and forcing back the tears that lingered there. She played absently with the fringe of the olive toned blanket that was draped over the airbender's lower half.

_What was taking so long?_

It had been almost a half a day since her brother had left in search of the antidote, Appa and Momo in tow. She wondered vaguely just how far they would have to travel, mentally retracing the steps of their journey for the past few weeks. Surprisingly, they hadn't gotten too far from the ruins they had camped at that one night, the time when Sokka and herself had come down with this same illness.

_Now that was a day she'd never forget…_

She grimaced, all at once tasting the thick skin of the frog that had been shoved into her trusting mouth, reliving the feeling of its thawing limbs pawing at the top of her tongue. "Bleck." She stuck her tongue out, suddenly not so keen on having it inside her mouth.

She slipped it back where it belonged, however, when the door to the small room she and Aang were in opened, and the kind woman who ran the otherwise deserted hostile stepped inside. She was an older woman, with long silver hair pinned back in a bun, and large gentle eyes set in an overall kind and pleasant face. She wore a plain, homespun dress of earthy tones, with only her tanned hands visible beneath its shapeless obscurity.

With a glance over her shoulder and a small nod, the woman gestured for someone to follow her lead, making her way over to the vacant cot on the far side of the room. "You can lie him down right in here, there's a spare bed in the corner."

Katara watched the woman's movements from where she sat, and catching the temperate emerald gaze, she smiled. The woman returned it before turning down the sheets of the other cot. "It looks like I'm destined for company this weekend. You don't mind the idea of a roommate do you, dear?"

Katara shook her head and clambered to her feet. "Of course not. Is there anything I can do?"

The woman looked over at her once more, a sad smile on her face. "I'm not sure, dear. This poor boy seems to be suffering from the same thing as your friend over there." She let her crinkled eyes fall on the prone form of the young monk for a few seconds before straitening up and stepping to one side, in order to give whoever was approaching from the hallway an unhindered passage to the cot.

Crossing her hands in front of her, she cocked her head to the side, regarding Katara with a thoughtful look once more. "But perhaps you might offer some solace with a few sympathetic words or the soothing reassurance of your company," she suggested kindheartedly. "It has appeared to ease your companion's condition somewhat."

"Of course." Katara walked over to stand beside the woman, eyes on the doorway. "I promise I'll do whatever I can for…"

The words died in her throat as the man walked through the door.

He wasn't by any means threatening in appearance, his stature rather short, and his expression, although possessing a worried aspect, was not an overall unkind one. As a matter of fact, upon noticing and recognizing her, his face split into a jovial grin, his deep amber eyes twinkling.

"Well! Hello my dear. Although the circumstances are as ill-fated as always, it is no less of a pleasure to see you again."

Katara didn't respond.

_Couldn't_ respond, actually, as her breath caught abruptly in her throat, her eyes glued to the red and grey-clad form draped over the old man's shoulder. She observed mutely as the all-too familiar man grunted faintly, lowering a very dazed looking, also easily recognizable, teenager onto the cot, then bent to place his hands on his knees, panting.

"That'll never do…"

The middle-aged woman tapped a long finger against her chin in thought as she regarded the unconcious boy. "He'll never get the proper rest while wearing that," she pointed a disapproving finger at his armor. Without another moment's hesitation, she bent down to examine it in hopes of figuring out how it could be removed. Noticing the clasps binding the metallic plates together along his sides, she began fumbling with them.

Having finished with one side a few minutes later, she paused to turn her focus on the old man who was still catching his breath to her left. With a sympathetic look, she stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come. Let me make you a hot cup of tea, mister…"

"Iroh, madam. And thank you, sincerely. But what about…?"

"Oh, do not worry about your…nephew, was it?" She returned his nod with a look of reassurance and motioned for Katara to approach.

The waterbender did, hesitant but obedient. She watched, still feeling the stuning effects of her previous stupor, as the woman pointed down at the shivering firebender.

"Could you finish with that, please? I'm sure he'd feel more comfortable having someone he knows removing his armor anyways, " the woman mused, completely aloof to the utter absurdity of her suggestions.

Iroh bit his tongue to prevent himself from releasing the humorous bray that was building up in his chest. The expression on the girl's face was enough to trigger some good-natured chortling, but the idea of Zuko waking to discover that he had been undressed by none other than the Avatar's female companion, all but put him over the edge.

"I trust my nephew will be safe in your care, my dear?" he asked with a large, but genuinely good-natured grin.

Katara could only nod numbly as she kneeled and bent over her immobile enemy to begin undoing the clasps at his other side.

"Don't worry, Mister Iroh," the silver-haired woman observed, ushering the retired general from the room with a hand at his back and casting one final, proud look at Katara. "She will take good care of your nephew."


End file.
